Nearly honors 200 top honors were awarded to Utica Community Schools students through the annual Scholastic Arts competition, including two of the top five awards in the program and an additional 13 students earning the highest level for their entire portfolios.

The competition, a program that honors the best in student-produced art, gave more than 40 percent of its awards to UCS students through a regional competition featuring high schools in the Michigan Thumb region.

“Our fine arts students and teachers continue to be recognized for creativity, dedication and incredible talent,” Superintendent Dr. Christine Johns. “The UCS Fine Arts program represents our district with award winning work in shows and displays throughout the region, state and nation.”

The regional Macomb, St. Clair and Lapeer program received more than 2,600 works of art. Professional artists, with the assistance of volunteer art teachers, selected pieces for Certificates, Silver and Gold Key Awards, American Vision nominations and Best of Show Portfolios.

The American Vision Award winners are chosen as the “Best of Show” from all of the artwork entered in this year’s Michigan Thumb Regional competition. Of the five American Visions awards from the entire Thumb area, two UCS high school students were honored: Bryanna Ankawi and Carla Villalvazo, of Eisenhower High School.

Ankawi was honored for her photography portfolio “Deep in Thought”; Villalvazo was honored for her portfolio “Forget Me Not.”

These artists will represent the region on the national level as American Vision nominees.

In addition, the following students earned Gold Key awards for their portfolios:

UCS secondary art teachers are Cara Bay of Bemis Junior High School;Gail Borowski of Davis Junior High School; Josephine
Braun, Nancy Druia and Jennifer Ramirez of Eisenhower High School; Emily
Ottaviano of Eppler Junior High School; Joe Elliott, Amy May and Marc Palombo
of Henry Ford II High School; Jennifer Talbot of Heritage Junior High School;Joseph Acker of Jeannette Junior High School; Kristine
Cooper and SaraPalombo of Malow Junior High School; Chris Brunson, Lisa Grunewald
and Marsha Sevek of Shelby Junior High School; Patti Fields of Stevenson High
School;Megan Berry of Stevenson High School
and Utica Center for Science and Industry;Joy Khan of Utica
Academy for International Studies and Utica Center for Science and Industry;Michael Allore of the Utica Center for Science
and Industry; Jennifer Allore and Joshua Etheridge of Utica High School.

Macomb Community College's Lorenzo Cultural Center will feature these works Jan. 30 through March 13.

Students who earn American Vision nominations and gold key will participate in the national Scholastic Arts competition in New York.